Chris Brock

Chris Brock's argument went this way: I've got a strong arm. Let me pitch.It rarely flew at Florida State, where coach Mike Martin recruits pitchers to pitch, outfielders to field and hit.It sold better with the Atlanta Braves, who hold the rights to one of the Pioneer League's top players.''I always said I could throw,'' Brock said by telephone from Idaho Falls, Idaho, site of a Braves' rookie-league team. ''I'm having a good time with it. I'm having a lot of fun.''Who wouldn't?With two weeks left in the season, Brock lives life as a pitcher, a position he hadn't played full time since departing Lyman High School.

LHP Bruce Chen was scheduled to start Sunday, but did not warm up thanks to a rainout. He will start today's A game against Tampa Bay. Nelson Figueroa and Amaury Telemaco are also scheduled to throw. . . . At 10:30 a.m. today, the Phillies will play a newly scheduled B game against Tampa Bay. Robert Person and Chris Brock are slated to pitch. . . . LHP Rheal Cormier threw on the side Saturday, increasing his time to nine minutes. He'll throw again today and increase the time again TODAY: vs. Tampa Bay, 1:05 p.m.

Longwood Lyman captured an easy 12-2 victory over Orlando Trinity Prep for its fifth victory. Dale Stevens, Chris Brock, John Burton and Chris Radcliff all had two hits in the victory. Burton hit a home run and drove in three runs. Brock and Radcliff each had a double as did Gib Lundquist. Kenny Oswald pitched a two-hitter in the five-inning contest.

Chris Brock pitched two scoreless innings and Tomas Perez drove in two runs in a 7-4 victory against Cleveland in Winter Haven. ... Wendell Magee Jr., once one of the Phillies' most prized prospects, homered in the game against the Indians. ``I'm not just playing for this team, but for the other teams out there,'' said Magee, tired of waiting for a second chance after flopping as the club's opening-day center fielder in 1997. ... Right-hander Cliff Politte agreed to terms while Magee and infielder Felix Martinez had their contracts renewed.

Chris Brock pitched two scoreless innings and Tomas Perez drove in two runs in a 7-4 victory against Cleveland in Winter Haven. ... Wendell Magee Jr., once one of the Phillies' most prized prospects, homered in the game against the Indians. ``I'm not just playing for this team, but for the other teams out there,'' said Magee, tired of waiting for a second chance after flopping as the club's opening-day center fielder in 1997. ... Right-hander Cliff Politte agreed to terms while Magee and infielder Felix Martinez had their contracts renewed.

LHP Bruce Chen was scheduled to start Sunday, but did not warm up thanks to a rainout. He will start today's A game against Tampa Bay. Nelson Figueroa and Amaury Telemaco are also scheduled to throw. . . . At 10:30 a.m. today, the Phillies will play a newly scheduled B game against Tampa Bay. Robert Person and Chris Brock are slated to pitch. . . . LHP Rheal Cormier threw on the side Saturday, increasing his time to nine minutes. He'll throw again today and increase the time again TODAY: vs. Tampa Bay, 1:05 p.m.

Reserve infielder Tony Liebsack's two-out double off the left-center field fence in the 10th inning Friday drove in two runs and gave Florida State a 6-5 victory over Arizona State at Dick Howser Stadium.Arizona State (8-2), which came into the game rated No. 1 in the nation by Baseball America, came from behind twice before falling in the 10th.FSU, ranked 12th, ran its record to 4-0.''It was a crazy game,'' FSU coach Mike Martin said. ''I told our team if we could just win this one, we would know what it's like to win a big game.

THREE DAYS after Jim Abbott was released by the Milwaukee Brewers, the left-hander said Monday that his baseball career is over. Abbott, 31, pitched a no-hitter for the New York Yankees against Cleveland in 1993. He was 2-8 with a 6.91 ERA for the Brewers this season.``My career wasn't always great, but it was wonderful,'' Abbott said. ``I learned so many lessons and had so many great friends and experiences. I don't feel the emptiness that I felt after I was released by the Angels a few years ago,'' he said.

The baseball team at Lyman High School is being billed as the Lyman Lumber Company with Chris Brock serving as president and Chris Radcliff as vice president.Brock is a senior entering his fourth varsity season, and Radcliff is a junior starting his third varsity campaign. Both have attained their ''high office'' in the company through their offensive production.Both are excellent defensive players, starring beside one another in the Lyman outfield for two years. But it is their hitting that has kept them in the limelight since they first started playing baseball in the Altamonte Little League.

Earlier this season, chatter around the Orlando Cubs' dugout might have referred to the O.J. Simpson murder trial, current TV shows or movies. Now, the main topic of conversation is . . . baseball.''Lately, it's been pretty quiet. Everyone is involved in the game,'' pitching coach Marty DeMerritt said. ''When someone does speak, it's usually a question about the game.''DeMerritt credits Orlando Manager Bruce Kimm.''Bruce has such a vast knowledge of the game, and all the players want to absorb some of that knowledge,'' DeMerritt said.

THREE DAYS after Jim Abbott was released by the Milwaukee Brewers, the left-hander said Monday that his baseball career is over. Abbott, 31, pitched a no-hitter for the New York Yankees against Cleveland in 1993. He was 2-8 with a 6.91 ERA for the Brewers this season.``My career wasn't always great, but it was wonderful,'' Abbott said. ``I learned so many lessons and had so many great friends and experiences. I don't feel the emptiness that I felt after I was released by the Angels a few years ago,'' he said.

Pitcher Brad Rigby should send a big thank you to former Oakland A's outfielder Geronimo Berroa and the Baltimore Orioles.Thanks to Berroa, who was traded to the Orioles last Friday, Rigby became the third former Seminole County prep standout to make his major-league debut last month.Rigby made his debut in a 2-0 loss to Texas on June 28, when he pitched eight excellent innings. Outfielder Juan Gonzalez gave the right-hander a big-league hello when he deposited two of Rigby's seven hits allowed into the bleachers for solo homers.

What a week for Seminole County baseball.On Tuesday, two former high school players from the county - Oviedo's Mark Bellhorn and Lyman's Chris Brock - were called up to the majors for the first time.Bellhorn, a second-round pick from Auburn in 1995, was promoted by Oakland to replace injured second baseman Scott Spiezio. Brock, a 12th-round selection by Atlanta out of Florida State in '92, replaced Braves left-hander Terrell Wade, who is hurt.Both players had memorable debuts.Bellhorn went 1-for-4 in a 6-4 loss against Detroit at Tiger Stadium on Tuesday, including a hit in his first at-bat.

While residents of Lansing, Mich., might not be crazy about the name of their Midwest League team, one thing is certain: the Lugnuts are a big hit.Last week the team became the only team to surpass 500,000 in attendance in its first year of existence. The club's wacky logo, a caricature of a bolt with a silly grin on its face, is one of the biggest sellers in the country.''Early in the season we had a lot of requests for the Lugnuts cap, so I ordered some and sold most of them,'' Orlando Cubs director of merchandising Mack Powell said.

At first, Chicago Cubs pitcher Steve Trachsel wasn't too enthused about opening the season with Orlando of the Class AA Southern League. But after making two starts in an extended spring-training stint he changed his mind.''I think the extra work did me some good,'' Trachsel said. ''They (Chicago) weren't going to be using me until mid-April anyway, so I guess I was better off coming to Orlando.''Trachsel, the Cubs' fifth starter, went 0-1 with a 2.77 ERA with the O-Cubs. What was most impressive was his control.

Earlier this season, chatter around the Orlando Cubs' dugout might have referred to the O.J. Simpson murder trial, current TV shows or movies. Now, the main topic of conversation is . . . baseball.''Lately, it's been pretty quiet. Everyone is involved in the game,'' pitching coach Marty DeMerritt said. ''When someone does speak, it's usually a question about the game.''DeMerritt credits Orlando Manager Bruce Kimm.''Bruce has such a vast knowledge of the game, and all the players want to absorb some of that knowledge,'' DeMerritt said.

Orlando continued its role as Southern League spoilers on Monday with an 11-3 victory over Greenville before a crowd of 3,392 at Tinker Field.Greenville entered the game needing a victory and a loss by Jacksonville to clinch the Eastern Division title for the second half of the season. The Braves will have to wait at least one more day after Monday's defeat, which featured 27 hits, 15 by Orlando.Orlando's doubleheader sweep of Jacksonville on Saturday virtually eliminated the Suns. Orlando's victory Monday delayed the Braves' celebration.

Orlando Cubs left-hander Jimmy Williams was named Southern League Pitcher of the Week following victories against Chattanooga and Birmingham during the Cubs' recent road trip. For the week, Williams was 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA.In 15 innings, Williams, a 6-foot-7 native of Butler, Ala., allowed nine hits and one earned run. He walked three and struck out 10. He is 5-2 with a 2.23 ERA for the season.LOCAL UPDATEA GLANCE at how some local players are performing:- Shortstop Wes Weger (Stetson, Lake Mary)

For players of the Princeton (W.Va.) Reds, the legend of buses breaking down on minor-league road trips became a reality Wednesday night.The Reds' players and coaches were pumped. They had just won the Appalachian League championship, beating the Johnson City (Tenn.) Cardinals, 4-1, and had done some celebrating befitting a championship team. Nothing could dampen the players' spirits - or so they thought.As the exuberance wore down, thoughts of early-morning flights back home to family and friends, whom the players hadn't seen for a couple of months, started to replace the lingering effects of the victory.

Orlando continued its role as Southern League spoilers on Monday with an 11-3 victory over Greenville before a crowd of 3,392 at Tinker Field.Greenville entered the game needing a victory and a loss by Jacksonville to clinch the Eastern Division title for the second half of the season. The Braves will have to wait at least one more day after Monday's defeat, which featured 27 hits, 15 by Orlando.Orlando's doubleheader sweep of Jacksonville on Saturday virtually eliminated the Suns. Orlando's victory Monday delayed the Braves' celebration.